Installation

The Vaults at Lavit Gallery, Wandesford Quay, Clarke’s Bridge, Cork, 5 to 28 June 2025. website

Description

The vaults at Lavit Gallery are a historic place, intimately tied to the practice of brewing in the city. They also have a very special acoustic character. Spending time in the dark under the vaulted ceilings, I recalled past listening experiences in and around Cork. My residencies at The Guesthouse and Sirius Arts Centre had given me ample time to explore places for their acoustics and architectural properties. One night in May 2016 I stayed up late, until human activity softened. From a vantage in Cobh I recorded the shoreline of Cork Harbour. As the waves washed onto the rocky shoreline. As the birds slept in the trees. As the fish swam silently in their cold depths. As the clouds obscured the moon.

This installation consists of location recordings and pure sine waves that have been specifically tuned to the volume of air contained within these vaults. Visitors are encouraged to hear how different positions and slight movements of their own body might change their perception. This is a listening ecology, a study of where we live.

Thanks

My gratitude to curator Brian Mac Domhnaill.